You're Not the Only Ones
by RainChild1
Summary: Christopher, Jalil, April, and David discover that they're not the only ones from Earth trapped in EverWorld.
1. Part One

EverWorld  
  
  
This is a fan-fiction I had an idea for while reading book #2. It doesn't really correspond with any of the books. In the story, Jalil, Christopher, David, and April meet another person trapped in EverWorld from Earth.  
Disclaimers: EverWorld and its characters and concepts are not any property of mine. I am simply borrowing them to create a story that I write for personal enjoyment, not for money.  
Any brand names, songs, or other copyrighted material that are found herein I make no claim to, as they are the property of their respective owners.  
Part One: The Encounter  
  
  
The four teenagers stumbled through the dense forest, trying to stay cheerful despite the prickly branches and thick brush they trudged through.  
"Hey, April" one of the boys said. "How about a song?"  
The lone female of the group sighed. "Another one?"  
He gave her puppy-dog eyes. "Please please please?" he begged.  
"Alright," she laughed. "Um... here you go, Christopher!"  
She launched into "No Scrubs" by TLC. The one called Christopher shrugged off the insult and began to hum along happily. One of the others, a handsome black boy, rolled his eyes.  
Trudging on, their unseen observer watched from the trees above. They didn't appear to be armed, save the last boy, who was hefting a large, well-made sword. Probably an enchanted one, too. The observer followed, hopping from tree to tree, and as the group paused by a stream in a clearing to rest, their stalker made the move.  
"If you don't have a car, and you're walkin'-" sang April.  
"Oh, yes son, I'm talking to you!" Christopher added.  
"If you live at home with your momma-"  
"Oh, yes son, I'm talking-crap!"  
The song was ungracefully interrupted as the observer went for the boy with the sword. She knocked it from his grasp, sending it into the stream. In seconds, she held a knife at his throat. "Hold!" she yelled.  
The others had moved to attack, but halted at the sight of the knife against their companion's neck. "Now, listen to me," the observer said, her voice low and silky. "I am not a foe. I disarmed this one for the sake of my safety, for a wise man once said 'the only difference between a friend and a potential foe is the potential.'"  
"I'll remember that," snapped Christopher. She ignored him.  
"I have been following you for nearly two days," she said calmly. "Though it does not appear you have ill intent, I'll not take the chance. If one of you makes the wrong move, your friend will be separated from his head."  
They stared at her. She was pretty, with tanned skin and dark hair in two long, thick braids. She was heavily armed, with a hunting bow and a quiver of arrows slung on her back, as well as a coo-hatch throwing blade-a difficult weapon to master-and a whip at her side. She couldn't have been much older than they were, but she seemed aged by hardship, like many people in EverWorld who were warriors.  
"What do you want?" asked Jalil. He stared at her, his fear well hidden.  
"I want answers," she said. "What are you?"  
"We're human," Jalil answered.  
"I know that!" she snapped. David gulped, the swallowing motion causing the dagger to press against him, though he tried to appear brave. "What is your business in EverWorld?"  
"We're minstrels," David said. "We're-"  
"Bull." Her eyes narrowed. "Tell me the truth."  
The others exchanged glances. If she didn't believe that, what could they say?  
Christopher shrugged. "We're not from EverWorld, lady. We're just visiting."  
David glared at him. They weren't supposed to speak of it! If people found out they were from the Old World-  
"Oh, my gosh," the girl whispered. She paled. "Are you from Earth? Er... the Old World?"  
A mixture of emotions went through the group. Shock. Surprise. Disbelief. "Are you?" she demanded. "Are you from Earth?"  
That's when it hit them. Beneath the brown skins and furs she was wearing, there was a glimpse of blue jean shorts.  
"Yes," April said, worry filling her eyes. "Chicago. Are you..."  
The girl didn't hear them. "Oh, god... I thought I was the only one!"  
Lowering the knife, she fell to her knees and began to sob in relief.  
  
Well? Whatcha think? Read & Review! 


	2. Part Two

Everworld, Chapter Two  
  
  
No one really knew what to say. The warrior girl who'd flew from the trees, kicked the sword from David, and held a knife to his throat, sat before them sobbing. The four of them exchanged glances as she cried, a mixture of emotions conveyed by their features: shock, disbelief, anger, hope, confusion. Finally, her sobs quieted, and April spoke.  
"You... you're not from Everworld, either?" April whispered.  
She shook her head. "No, I'm not. Do you guys know the way back?" she said, hope shining in her moist eyes.  
"No. Don't you?!" April nearly shouted. Her shoulders sagged. "You're trapped here, too, huh? Just like us?" April's words were more of a statement than a question.  
The girl looked equally pained. "I've been here for seven years. I... I've met people who were trapped here, but none from Earth, much less America."  
"The Coo-Hatch?" David asked, gesturing at her throwing blade. She nodded.  
"I... not long after I got here, I wandered into Coo-Hatch territory. A young Coo-Hatch took me home, like a six-year-old who found a stray cat. He actually said 'can we keep it?'"  
She sighed, getting to her feet. "How did you get here? Through another temple?"  
"What? Temple? No," Christopher stammered. "What do you mean, a temple? Is that how you got here?"  
"Yeah," she replied. "I ran into some abandoned church. The next thing I knew, I was here. On Mount Olympus, actually."  
"The Greek gods, right?" Jalil said. "Zeus and all."  
She nodded. "And you guys? How did you get here?"  
Christopher started to reply, but David cut him off. "Long story." He shot a look at Christopher, clearly meaning "Not a word about Senna." Christopher caught the message, but glared back.  
"Oh, come on, David," Christopher said, plopping down on the grass. "I could use a few campfire stories. Besides, she's trapped here, too. Not like she's Loki or anything."  
"We can't trust her," David snapped.  
April rolled her eyes. "Normally, David, I'd say anyone who held a knife to your throat wasn't a good person to trust. But, do you want to explain to me how she knew Chicago and America and all?"  
Jalil nodded. "Got a point. Illinois wasn't exactly around back in the Dark Ages."  
David still looked pissed. Probably had something to do with the dagger she was calmly putting back in its sheath at her side. "Fine. But let's hear your story first," he said to the girl.  
She shrugged. "Fine." David was a little startled; what made her so trusting? Probably the fact that she was obviously a good fighter and could slice them to pieces with a toss of the steel blade she wore. She could take them if they had ill intent, and she knew it. That was where she drew her confidence. David could see her sizing them up, keeping herself alert if they were to make a wrong move. She wasn't being careless.  
"My name is Megan. I was born in Seattle, actually. My parents got divorced when I was five, and I ended up living with my mom. We never got along too well, and then she found out I was studying the occult. We had a huge fight over religion, and I took off. Ran away."  
She sat down on the ground, positioning herself so she could keep an eye on the others. The others did the same, keeping their distance from her, just in case. Megan went on.  
"I don't know if she ever looked for me or not. Really don't care. I went to another city, one not too far away, and took up with a group of street kids. Taught me to fight, with my hands and with a knife. We were all sleeping in this old warehouse, and the cops showed up. We scattered. I ducked into some abandoned building to lose them. I guessed it was a temple or something. It... it felt strange, like being in a haunted house, I guess. Weird." She frowned darkly. "There was this... like, a symbol or something, I don't know, painted on the floor. I... I walked to it. It was... humming, like some kind of priest in a horror movie. I stepped on the symbol, and the floor just-disappeared. Went black. When I woke up, I was surrounded by Athena and Ares and Hermes and Demeter."  
"So... you've been here ever since?" Christopher asked.  
"When you fall asleep, do you wake up in the Real World?" April wanted to know. "In your old body?"  
Megan looked up sharply. "No. Do you?"  
"Yeah."  
Convinced they were giving too much away, David interrupted. "Have you been back to the real world? At all?"  
Megan looked at him, as though reading him. He got the creepy feeling she was able to see... through him. It was a look he'd only seen on one other person: Senna.  
"Yes, actually. When I fall asleep, sometimes I DO go back. It rarely happens, and I'm not sure why. I... I study, when it happens. I go to the library. Or, eat, sometimes. I learn how to fight, to hunt, to survive here, and I study the Gods." She shook her head. "But, it doesn't happen a lot. Certainly not like waking up in my old body."  
There was a sadness in her eyes, and it seemed nothing if not sincere. "A few times, things came back with me. Nothing useful... a lighter, and a book, and a pair of earrings. That's all, plus the stuff I came with."  
She sighed. "And you?" she asked. "How'd you get here?"  
Christopher jerked his thumb at David. "Ask Napoleon."  
She looked at David, confused. David drew in a breath. "We... we were pulled across the gateway by Fenrir and Loki. At Lake Michigan. We escaped, though."  
Megan arched an eyebrow. "No easy task, I'll bet. When you sleep? Can you tell me more about that?"  
April nodded. "There's two of us. One here, one there. When we go to sleep, we end up in our old bodies, and live there for a while. When we wake up, we're back in Everworld, though."  
"Hmm." Megan sighed. "Well, we have to get moving."  
"We?" David snapped. "Who said anything about 'we'?"  
She shrugged. "Fine. I'll go get moving. You stay here, and get torn apart." She stood up, brushing grass from her legs.  
That sent a nice chill down everyone's spine. "What the hell is THAT supposed to mean?!" Jalil demanded.  
She smiled a little. "You've wandered into a forest where people don't exactly wander if they're smart."  
Just then, a howl started. It sounded much like a wolf. Though they'd heard it before, it had always been much farther away. Megan finally started to look worried. "The Epiwolves," she hissed. "If you people want to come, fine. I'm getting the hell out of this forest-- the Epiwolves aren't too sweet, get it? You're lucky they didn't catch you sooner-- I've been following you from the trees. Good luck trying to get out of here alive without me."  
The others exchanged glances. David stood, heading for his sword. "What are Epiwolves?" Christopher asked, but he stood up, as did the others.  
"Evolved wolves," she snapped. "They're bigger, more intelligent. They speak."  
David had his sword now. "Fine. We'll follow you, for now."  
Megan recognized what he meant with a nod. He didn't like her. Fine. He just realized they might need her; she was armed, and probably a lot more skilled. She motioned them to follow.  
  
--Sorry this took so long; I've been busy. Whatcha think? Review, people! 


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